MACROMEDIA FLASH 8-LEARNING ACTIONSCRIPT 2.0 IN FLASH - Page 808

808 Terminology
Parameters (also called arguments) are placeholders that let you pass values to functions.
For example, the following
welcome() function uses two values it receives in the parameters
firstName and hobby:
function welcome(firstName:String, hobby:String):String {
var welcomeText:String = "Hello, " + firstName + ". I see you enjoy " +
hobby +".";
return welcomeText;
}
Packages
are directories that contain one or more class files and reside in a designated
classpath directory (see “About packages” on page 228).
Pinning scripts lets you pin multiple scripts from various objects and work with them
simultaneously in the Actions panel. This feature works best with the Script navigator.
Progressive JPEG images are gradually constructed and displayed as they download from a
server. A normal JPEG image is displayed line-by-line while it downloads from a server.
Properties are attributes that define an object. For example, length is a property of all arrays
that specifies the number of elements in the array.
Punctuators are special characters that help you form ActionScript code. There are several
language punctuators in Flash. The most common type of punctuators are semicolons (;),
colons (:), parentheses [()] and braces ({}). Each of these punctuators has a special meaning in
the Flash language and helps define data types, terminate statements or structure
ActionScript.
Script Assist is a new assisted mode in the Actions panel. Script Assist lets you more easily
create scripts without having detailed knowledge of ActionScript. It helps you build scripts by
selecting items from the Actions toolbox in the Actions panel, and provides an interface of
text fields, radio buttons, and check boxes that prompt you for the correct variables and other
scripting language constructs. This feature is similar to normal mode in earlier editions of the
Flash authoring tool.
Script pane is a pane in the Actions panel or Script window, and is the area where you type
your ActionScript code.
Script window is a code editing environment where you can create and modify external
scripts, such as Flash JavaScript files or ActionScript files. For example, select File > New and
then select ActionScript File to use the Script window to write a class file.
Statements are language elements that perform or specify an action. For example, the
return statement returns a result as a value of the function in which it executes. The if
statement evaluates a condition to determine the next action that should be taken. The
switch statement creates a branching structure for ActionScript statements.